CHAPTER 2 — The Woman Who Stole Five Years
The airport seemed to freeze.
People who had been rushing toward taxis slowed their steps. Drivers stopped loading luggage. Even Blake Harrington's security team exchanged uneasy glances as the three little boys wrapped themselves around Emma.
Blake couldn't breathe.
His eyes moved from one child to the next.
The resemblance wasn't merely striking.
It was undeniable.
The oldest boy had his sharp jawline.
The second had the exact gray eyes that every financial magazine had once called "the eyes that built an empire."
The youngest smiled exactly the way Blake had smiled in old wedding photographs Emma had hidden away years ago.
His voice cracked.
"...How old are they?"
Emma looked at him calmly.
"They'll be five next month."
The words hit him harder than any punch.
Five.
Exactly five years.
Exactly the amount of time since their divorce.
His knees nearly gave way.
"Emma..."
His voice was barely audible.
"They're..."
"Our sons."
She didn't raise her voice.
She didn't sound angry.
She simply spoke the truth.
Blake stared at the children as if the world itself had stopped turning.
One of the boys looked up curiously.
"Mom, who's that man?"
Emma hesitated.
Before she could answer, Blake whispered,
"I'm..."
His voice failed.
For the first time in decades...
The billionaire who negotiated billion-dollar contracts couldn't finish a single sentence.
The chauffeur quietly interrupted.
"Mrs. Winters, your father asked us to bring the boys home before the storm arrives."
Blake turned.
"Your...father?"
Emma nodded.
"Yes."
"I thought your parents passed away years ago."
"My mother did."
"My father didn't."
Blake frowned.
"But your father was just a school teacher."
Emma looked at him for several long seconds.
"No."
"He allowed people to believe that."
Before Blake could ask another question, another black vehicle slowly rolled beside the Bentley.
Unlike Blake's luxury SUVs...
This one carried discreet government plates.
Two men stepped out wearing dark suits.
Neither smiled.
One walked directly toward Emma.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Winters."
"Director Hayes."
"The board meeting has been moved forward."
"I know."
"We'll see you in an hour."
Blake noticed something strange.
Those men weren't treating Emma like an employee.
They were treating her like someone vastly more important.
When they left, Blake couldn't hide his confusion.
"What board?"
Emma simply smiled.
"You'll find out soon enough."
One little boy tugged on Emma's sleeve.
"Mom..."
"I'm hungry."
She laughed softly.
"Of course you are."
The youngest suddenly pointed toward Blake.
"He looks sad."
Children noticed things adults ignored.
Emma looked into Blake's eyes.
He wasn't angry anymore.
He wasn't arrogant.
He looked...
Broken.
The oldest boy reached into his tiny backpack.
He pulled out a chocolate bar.
Walking slowly toward Blake, he held it out with both hands.
"My mommy says chocolate helps when people cry."
Blake stared at the little hand.
He accepted it without speaking.
The boy smiled.
"See?"
"You smiled a little."
Then he ran back to Emma.
Blake stood frozen.
His own son...
Had comforted him.
Without knowing who he was.
As the Bentley drove away, Blake remained standing on the curb.
His assistant cautiously approached.
"Sir..."
No response.
"Sir, the shareholders are waiting."
Still nothing.
Finally Blake whispered,
"Cancel everything."
"Everything?"
"I need answers."
That evening, Blake entered the Harrington family mansion.
His mother, Victoria Harrington, was enjoying tea in the garden.
She smiled.
"You look terrible."
He ignored the comment.
"Mother..."
She looked up.
"What happened?"
"I saw Emma today."
Victoria's smile disappeared for only a fraction of a second.
Too quickly for most people to notice.
But Blake noticed.
"And?"
"She has three children."
Victoria calmly poured more tea.
"I'm sure she's moved on."
"They're mine."
The teacup slipped from Victoria's fingers.
It shattered across the marble floor.
For several terrifying seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
Blake stared at her.
"You knew."
"What?"
"You knew."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Don't be ridiculous."
"They're almost five."
"The timing..."
"The divorce..."
"The messages..."
His heartbeat accelerated.
Then another memory suddenly returned.
Five years earlier...
The week before their divorce...
Emma had desperately tried to hand him a medical envelope.
His mother had intercepted it.
"I'll give this to Blake."
Emma had trusted her.
Blake had never seen that envelope.
His blood ran cold.
He slowly looked at his mother.
"...What was inside that envelope?"
Victoria didn't answer.
She simply stood.
"I'm tired."
Blake grabbed her wrist.
For the first time in his life.
"What..."
"...did you do?"
Fear flashed across Victoria Harrington's face.
Not guilt.
Fear.
Because she realized her son had finally begun asking the one question she had spent five years making sure he never asked.
And buried deep inside an old safe in the Harrington mansion...
Still hidden beneath stacks of legal documents...
Was the original pregnancy report.
Signed.
Stamped.
Dated.
Five years ago.
Proof that Emma had been carrying not one...
Not two...
But three Harrington heirs before Blake ever signed the divorce papers.
Outside, thunder echoed across Chicago.
Inside the mansion...
May you like
An even greater storm had just begun.
— END OF CHAPTER 2 —
